How to care for the basic health needs of horses
Every competitive horse has normal wear and tear, just like human athletes. Horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby in Thoroughbred racing receive more media attention than probably any other equine athletes. So, when a spring season arrives,
Venereal diseases are those that can be sexually transmitted. "Vener" is the Latin term for sexual intercourse and, hence, the origin of the term "venereal." The outcome of sexually transmitted diseases in horses can vary
Put a horse down. Euthanized. Humanely destroyed. The list goes on. It is how we in the business describe the unsavory, but sometimes necessary, task of killing a horse. Sometimes an animal becomes sick or crippled from a chronic problem, such a
It seems to work! Because of research on new drug treatments for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), horse owners might soon be able to kill the parasite that they now only can control effectively about 60% of the time. Preliminary researc
Researchers, veterinarians, and horse people from around the world gathered in San Antonio in April for the 16th meeting of the Association for Equine Sports Medicine (AESM). The program included three full days of presentations concerning the
Ears forward and eyes fixed, the horse concludes his gallop in front of the fence. He gathers himself and leaps gracefully into the air, clearing the obstacle with ease and landing on the other side of the obstacle to gallop on to the next
An elegant athlete, the dressage horse moves in perfect harmony with his rider. Following the artistic traditions of European horsemanship, the performer displays supple joints and natural balance, or expresses power and grace in the demanding
Within this subject, it is also a good time to discuss simple foot abscesses, as they are a common–and often the best possible–outcome for a puncture wound to the foot. Generally before infection can take hold, the puncture must penetrate the dead
Mares grazing on tall fescue pastures infected with a toxin have increased gestation lengths, mare and foal deaths, agalactia (absent milk secretion after birth), retained placentas, premature separation of the placenta at birth, and increased placental weights and thickness.
Uphill, downhill, through brush, over rocks and deep sand, across streams–this equine athlete carries his rider to a destination. The trail horse travels along a sometimes none-too-defined path, replicating the centuries-old use of the horse as
The annual meeting of the British Equine Veterinary Association provided a wealth of information on topics ranging from tendons and ligaments to muscle diseases, from disorders of the back to conformation. Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS,
When a mare and a stallion meet, love might be in the air…but there’s the potential for danger, too. Particularly when humans get in the middle of it all. In our efforts to orchestrate the best possible combinations of
You’ve heard it before, but here it is one more time: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. With this in mind, it’s time to take a serious look at disinfecting barns and equipment where horses are housed. When it come
The official title for an all-too-common respiratory ailment in horses is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For the average horse owner, however, that rather cumbersome title has been reduced to a single word: heaves. Other people
They met in Italy to exchange information about reproduction, sports medicine, infectious diseases, transportation, and surgery. The more than 300 delegates from 29 different countries, including Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark
Back in the 1800s, the world really could have used a better hoof on a better horse. History tells us that breeders tried to comply, by including soundness as a criterion for reproduction. Veterinary medicine complied with
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